Greece’s current heat wave is “probably” the longest in history, a spokesman for the National Meteorological Observatory said on Saturday.
“According to our data, we are likely to experience a heatwave of 16 to 17 days, which has never happened before in our country,” said Costas Laguvardos, director of research at the National Meteorological Observatory, broadcaster ERT, as quoted by Agence France Press.
In Greece, in recent days, many residents have been evacuated from coastal areas affected by heat waves, with temperatures reaching 44 degrees.
Some 1,200 children were forced to leave their holiday camps on Monday due to fire threats and high winds near Loutraki, about 80km west of Athens.
Temperatures of 41°C were recorded in Attica, near Athens, at noon on Friday, and up to 44°C in Thessaly, in the center of the country, according to the national meteorological service EMY.
On the island of Euboea, a 46-year-old man died on Friday after being admitted to hospital with a “body temperature of 40 degrees” and after undergoing cardiopulmonary arrest due to “exposure to very high temperatures,” the Chalkis hospital said in a statement.
Sunday is expected to be the worst day ever, with temperatures approaching 44°C in Athens and 45°C in Thessaly.
“This weekend is likely to be the hottest July in fifty years,” said meteorologist Panagiotis Yiannopoulos of the public broadcaster ERT.
On Sunday and Monday, the wind from the north, which can reach 60 km / h, equally favors the fire, the expert warned.
According to the Ministry of Culture, all archaeological sites in the country, including the Acropolis of Athens, will be closed during the hottest part of the day until Sunday.
The Ministry of Labor, in turn, urged employers to encourage remote work, and the Ministry of Health issued recommendations to avoid all unnecessary travel in the middle of the day.
In the Greek capital, an absolute temperature record of 44.8°C was recorded in June 2007, according to the National Observatory of Athens, while the absolute record in Greece was reached in July 1977 with 48°C at Elefsina, near Athens.